For West Bengal’s Shyamali Singh, bronze medal in Mumbai Marathon follows a battle with brain tumour

West Bengal Shyamali Singh overcame all odds to win a bronze medal at Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, having undergone a brain tumour operation couple of years ago.

It was at same event four years ago when Shyamali complained of vomiting around halfway mark of 42 kilometre stretch, something that she and her husband Santosh Singh noticed to be developing into some sort of a pattern.

couple h to go through several rounds of checkups at different hospitals before y learned about exact cause of problem, a brain tumour, which inevitably took its toll.

“She ran in a TCS race and won a silver and n she participated in Mumbai. She would vomit after 25 or 26 kilometres. pressure would increase on brain but we did not know,” Santosh told media here after 19th edition of gold-label race.

couple revealed facing a severe financial crunch over last few years but ded that re is nothing which would deter m from ir mission of making Shyamali improve more and more.

“During her operation, I mailed to everyone... from MLA to chief minister as well as prime minister, but I did not get a response from anywhere,” Santosh said.

It took some time for Shyamali to get back up on her feet again but she is gl to have found right doctor who still keeps a close eye on her.

“ doctor who did surgery was confident that this girl would start running again and she started too, after surgery in November 2021," Santosh said.

“He is such a big doctor but he keeps calling to check on me,” expressed Shyamali, who mentioned her husband’s hard work and blessings which has kept her dreams alive.

Santosh said all along re have been naysayers and all sorts of challenges, but as a couple y remain single-minded to not give up Shyamali’s dream.

“Everyone says kill this passion for sport but I am not bored about what ors say. She was amant to resume running after surgery even when she was not able to run at all,” said Santosh, who has also been a long-distance runner at state and national level.

“We understand sports. I always motivate her to do well and not worry about troubles. I ask her to think as if uske peeche ek paha kha hai (that she has mountainous support from me),” he said.

“I sold land which we h bought earlier for purpose of making our home. We live in a rented flat. I told her that it was not a bigger thing than her career,” Santosh ded.